Wisconsin coach Mike Hastings on Thursday announced three additions to his staff.
Wisconsin 2006 NCAA champion, former assistant coach and recent head coach of the USHL’s Madison Capitals Andy Brandt returns as an assistant coach; longtime NHL goaltending coach Steve Briere is the new director of goaltending development; and U.S Hockey Hall of Famer-Joe Pavelski is director of player Development.
The trio join Hastings, associate head coach Todd Knott and assistant coach Nick Peruzzi.
Brandt directed the Capitals to 104 regular-season victories and a .599 regular-win percentage, plus an appearance in this year’s conference finals. He also served as head coach for the U.S. Junior Select Team that won the 2025 World Junior A Challenge.
Briere, who boasts 10 years as an NHL head goaltending coach and 12 years overall at that highest level, also spent time coaching at the NCAA, USHL and NAHL levels. Most recently, Briere spent three seasons with the Seattle Kraken. That followed seven seasons as the head goaltending coach with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Pavelski is an 18-year NHL veteran forward Joe Pavelski and was the leading scorer for the Badgers’ 2006 NCAA championship team and an All-American at Wisconsin. He finished his NHL career in 2024 as the all-time points leader among Badgers in the NHL with 476 goals and 1,068 points in 1,332 games played.